Higher octane has long been known to have an effect on the entire ecoboost lineup. It won't increase fuel economy by any worthwhile margin usually but the power gains are dyno proven across the board.
Well if a dyno shows a measurable difference that's certainly the very same thing as a dramatic night and day difference the first time you spend more to fill your tank, isn't it?
$5-$10 knocks a few tenths off the quarter mile and helps it pull harder in hotter temps. Not night and day but not insignificant.
I've used both, there isn't a noticable difference in normal driving. I suppose those seeing dramatic differences may be drag racing, but more likely they're seeing what they want to see. And around here the premium is closer to twenty bucks a tank, which is more than I care to spend for no reason.
Some of us like to have fun. Some of us do our research. And then there's you...
If the difference was only "$3-$5" it would be tempting. Alas, it is not. The difference on a full tank here is $15 which is almost a grand a year. That's not chump change for us anyhow.
That's a pretty significant reason to run fuel with a higher octane rating than the stated minimum to me. The cost around here though is about .60 per gallon for 93 over 87 octane, some stations up to .70. That's almost $11 per 18 gallons of gas. That's not insignificant either however, for those who like or need to pinch pennies.
